Bundesliga is Back, but is it Sustainable?

If you're like millions of people around the globe, cabin fever has probably set in horribly and you can't wait for the day when you can go on the street without worrying about catching a deadly disease. If you're a sports fan, you've already got some sort of release with the return of the UFC two weeks ago and now in Germany, Bundesliga soccer is back. As a soccer fan, I can't say I've really paid attention to the Bundesliga this year, despite this being one of the most competitive seasons to date. From Saturday to Monday, eight matches were played across the country in desolate venues. The eerie playing atmosphere was fun at first but now most fans realized this could be the norm for quite a while and that is unnerving to some. Nevertheless, it was good to see live soccer for the first time and we were treated to some incredible matches, equipped with high goal-scoring and socially-distant celebrations. The Bundesliga is back, but this is a matter of health and safety. Can it be sustained for long periods of time?

The first match of the weekend was Dortmund vs. Schalke, a matchup that should've been closer but Dortmund completely dominated the pitch. The youth movement undergone by the black and yellow is clearly paying off. Erling Haaland is transforming into a godly striker; it's no wonder why every big club in England and Spain wants him to be the focal point of their attack. His opening goal was amazing; that celebration...was the most awkward thing I've ever seen. Better get used to that, we'll be seeing it a lot. Thorgan Hazard, younger brother of Eden Hazard, also tallied an assist and a goal, and he has more goals and assists than Eden has in all competitions this season (in fairness to the older Hazard, Eden has been injured all season). Raphael Guerreiro also came to play with his two goals. Even without Marco Reus starting, Dortmund was unbothered by a pretty underwhelming performance by Schalke. Dortmund continues to trim the gap between first and second place in the table; they are only separated by 4 points by leaders Bayern Munich. This is the storyline to watch if no other leagues start back up soon.

We also were graced with the match of RB Leipzig and SC Freiburg, but the match was pretty boring. Leipzig once led the Bundesliga until they fell off drastically as their Champions League run got deeper. This was an overall disappointing performance by Leipzig. Turns out being the child of an energy drink's sports division doesn't provide the boost needed to come out swinging after a long vacation. Timo Werner was held goalless in his first game back from hiatus. Feiburg held the lead for most of the game off Manuel Gulde's goal early in the first half. Luckily, Yussuf Poulsen's late header salvaged a point for Leipzig. Yea, this was a sad game. Clearly, Julian Nageslmann is a good coach who's battled adversity well but dropping to fourth from first is a pretty big deal. Sometimes too much time away from the game can hurt more than help. There's also all the rumors surrounding Werner's transfer to Liverpool. Don't even act like it won't happen; it is all but confirmed. It would be nice for Leipzig to live up to the promise they were showing, but a draw to a seventh-place team isn't exactly a result that screams "great success."

Bayern's return to the pitch was another mixed performance. The Munich giants looked sluggish, almost unmotivated to play during a pandemic that hasn't totally passed yet. Robert Lewandowski shined like a diamond, per usual, as he tallied the first goal of the game with a penalty in the 40th minute, followed by Benjamin Pavard's header late in the second half to fully secure three points. Thomas Muller had a goal disallowed in the first half by that beast known as VAR, as he was ruled offsides. The truly bright spots for Bayern were their defensive play. Joshua Kimmich and David Alaba were staunch rear guards and goalie Manuel Neuer was relatively unbothered. Union Berlin is having a tough first year of promotion sitting at 12th place right now. Bayern are four points clear of Dortmund, so once again it will be another tough battle for the Bundesliga between these two clubs. However, don't get your hopes up for Dortmund to dethrone the evil empire known as Bayern. We've been teased by this phenomenon last year; in the end, Bayern still won the league. This wasn't an overly exciting game and Bayern didn't look up to full fitness but they faced Union Berlin. There wasn't much competition between them. Bayern were clearly the better side, but they'll need to be stronger in order to face the surging Dortmund youth machine.

The Bundesliga may be back for now, but I have concerns. The coronavirus isn't gone. It's still running rampant through society. Having no fans and socially-distant dugouts for coaches, staff, and subs are good tactics but you've got to wonder if league play can be sustained. Players aren't bound to their homes; they all go out to get groceries and they have kids to take care of. If they start testing positive again, there's reason to think the season might be called off like the French and Dutch leagues. Also, the atmosphere of the stadium is scary without the fans. You can hear all the calls and shouts by managers and players, which is cool at first, but then you realize the voice of the fans create the hype. Without them, the game almost feels like you're watching JV men's soccer at your local high school. I am happy there are live sports back, but I am worried there will be a surge in player infections. There's also the financial aspect of soccer to consider. Without ticket sales or concessions or merchandise, clubs will be hurting without their normally significant revenue streams. Smaller clubs like a Union Berlin are some of those clubs that will be impacted heavily without these revenue streams. Big clubs like Dortmund and Bayern will be less hurt with all those tech company sponsors, but less money will equal fewer transfer funds. The market won't be as inflated after the pandemic but it is not going to be easy to buy game-changing players like Werner or Jadon Sancho, the two most-coveted Bundesliga players this season. I think the play will get better as teams and players adjust to the new normal of pandemic sporting events, but if there is a rise in infections and a worrisome financial situation, the league might be halted again. We can only pray neither of those happen.